As Small Charity Week approaches, the small charity sector – is anything more "big society" than that? – will pause to mark its achievements. The publication of the first skills report focused exclusively on small charities will identify their skills gaps and shortages. The Foundation for Social Improvement (FSI), which supports small charities and is a Guardian Charity Awards partner, undertook the research. So what does it tell us?

First, the hardest vacancies to fill are for fundraisers. Fundraising is a highly specialised field where the best people are often snapped up by large organisations with immense salary and development budgets. In a big fundraising team, a fundraiser might specialise in one area, say trusts and foundations or community fundraising, where they can tailor the charity's message to a target audience day in, day out.

In a smaller charity, a fundraiser must master a whole range of audiences, presenting to a corporate one day, making the case to a major donor the next. FSI was set up to provide free training for small charities in fundraising methodologies and help them build a "mixed-income economy", with a balance of voluntary, earned and statutory income.

Action Acton, a small charity we have worked with, promotes economic and community regeneration in west London. It runs a number of vibrant social enterprises and has won government contracts. We helped them to increase their income from fundraising.

Second, half of the charities in the report say they need more skills in the vital area of impact reporting. Understanding the need for a rigorous impact monitoring framework is essential for two reasons. The data collected is vital for demonstrating impact to all stakeholders, not least funders and donors. We lead by example here, publishing an annual impact report on all areas of our work.

Charities need to demonstrate that they are delivering real results in a sustainable, cost-effective manner. But the strongest communication tool is a charity's work with its beneficiaries. The stories of lives transformed by the intervention of an organisation committed to making a real difference to a community will always trump the latest marketing line being churned out by consumer advertising agencies.

One example is the work of the Tea Leaf Trust, set up by a couple who while honeymooning in Sri Lanka were struck by the juxtaposition of beautiful resorts with plantation communities in extreme poverty. The charity provides education for tea plantation workers.

The third area of concern highlighted in the report is the impact of skills shortages on frontline delivery, which has increased the workload of existing staff, making it hard to take on new work.

Small charities believe further training, learning from similar organisations and mentoring will be the best ways to deliver results. Small charities represent all the best values of the coalition government's big society and localism agendas. The government has recently published its blueprint of how it will get more people giving more time and money to worthy causes over the coming years.

In the meantime, small charities will continue to help their communities. You can support them this Small Charity Week by giving your time, donating, or by simply learning more about their work.

• Pauline Broomhead is chief executive of FSI. Small Charity Week runs from 20 to 24 June. The UK Small Charity Sector Skills Survey will be available from 22 June at thefsi.org